How good is Arizona's Noah Fifita? 'I have the best quarterback in the (Big 12) without a doubt'

Fifita is drawing high praise for his offseason growth

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (11) is drawing high praise for his development this offseason. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Big 12 is loaded with quarterback talent.

From Arizona State's Sam Leavitt to Baylor's Sawyer Robertson to BYU's Jake Retzlaff, the conference has at least 10 quarterbacks returning in 2025 who are pro prospects.

But Arizona's Noah Fifita might be the best of the bunch. Just ask his offensive coordinator.

“I have the best quarterback in the league without a doubt," Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege said on Saturday. "This dude ... he's different. He's picked up every single piece of information I've ever given him."

A 5-foot-10, 190-pound redshirt sophomore, Fifita completed 60.5% of his passes for 2.958 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. His QBR of 54.8 ranked No. 13 in the 16-team Big 12.

But Doege said Fifita has elevated his game in the offseason

"This dude is phenomenal. He's right where I want him to be. I feel like I can push it even further with him," Doege said. "He challenges me to figure out what else can we do. ... What do I really need to hone in on? Because he is so talented with so many different things."

"I love that kid. I told him after our practice ... I grabbed him and I told him I was so proud of him. Because what you guys don't see is he's always been Noah. Noah is a stud. He's super talented. You guys know that he's a great teammate. He's very humble. You guys know that. But what you don't know is the leadership role he's been taking on. And when I first got the job everybody's telling me 'Hey we need this guy to be vocal. We need him to be more of a presence when it comes to talking, because he is such a really humble and great teammate.'"

Fifita, who will be playing without longtime high school and college teammate Tetairoa McMillan next season, also drew comparisons to 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales coached Daniels when he was at Arizona State.

"He has the pulse of the entire team, not just the offense, which is awesome," Gonzales said. "And when you have that you have something special. And you have a chance. I was around a generational talent at the other school that's playing for the Washington Redskins right now. Noah's every bit as talented. He's not 6-2, but the leadership skills that he has — what coach Doege is talking about — it's special."

Here's more of what Doege said about Fifita after Arizona's Spring Showcase:

'He's kicked me out of the huddle'

"He's all about just doing his job, and he's really good obviously at doing his job. But the last four or five practices he's kicked me out of the huddle so he could take it over. And there was times where we would have a team run period and Danny (Gonzales) would get after us. And then we'd have a little break and most of those times I'm having to call the offense up to challenge them and saying 'Hey we're down 14 what are we going to do about it?' Or 'Hey we lost that quarter what are we going to do in this next quarter?' Or 'Hey we're playing with 10 not 11, we're playing with nine not 11.'"

"But the last two times I've had to do that he's kicked me out of the huddle. And the times that he did take over it was pretty special to watch. So I'm excited about Noah. I've never been around somebody like him, as talented and like I said as a great teammate as he is. And now that he is finding his voice amongst the team — because he's always had the pulse of the team — but now he's finding his voice amongst the team and those guys will listen.

'He's by far our best player'

"Obviously he's by far our best player, at least on offense. ... So those guys are completely bought into who he is and I'm super proud of him. And from a scheme standpoint I don't feel like there's anything he can't do."

"Our recruiting season and over the summer I've really got to figure out what is he best at and what can we push this to, because I think he can be really special. And like I said I believe he's the best quarterback in this league so I'm excited about him."

"He's taken over this entire team. He's using his voice. He'll give me credit like 'Oh I just needed somebody to show me how.' And I'm like 'Bro you knew how.' He's just finally comfortable enough to go do it. ... He is a special, special player and we've got to do everything we can to build around him and to continue to develop around him because he gives us a chance to win any given week."

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